Grey
by battleshipzhurrick
Summary: Varrick makes a horrifying discovery; Zhu Li rushes to his aid.


"ZHU LI!" Varrick shrieked. The noise was so shrill and so blood-curling, Zhu Li paled and dropped the paperwork she was carrying. And yet despite the urge to panic at hearing his voice reach an unfamiliar pitch, she did not panic. Her mind automatically jumped, in nothing more than a second, to emergency steps.

_1. Locate employer._

She was able to pinpoint his location based on the direction of his scream, and she took off in a run. All the while, she processed her plan of action. _Secure employer. Identify targets. Dispatch targets-_

She almost broke the door to the bathroom down in her haste to get to him. Varrick was not in a vulnerable position or being attacked. She gave him a once-over. Status: Unharmed.

She ignored him, then, and searched the surrounding area. She pulled back the curtain to the tub. Clear. She opened the bathroom closet. Clear. She checked outside the bathroom, looking for any sign that someone might have fled the area. She felt a hand grab her arm. She relaxed because she knew it was her employer. If it had been anyone else while she was on a heightened level of alert, she would've reacted violently out of reflex.

"Zhu Liiiii," Varrick whined, pulling her over to the mirror. "Look!" He threw his arm at the mirror, turning head away from it.

Zhu Li looked at the mirror, studying it for defect or spots. She saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'm looking, sir," she said, hoping the statement would prompt him to elaborate.

Varrick spun his assistant around so she was facing him, hands gripping her shoulders, tight. "Do you see it, Zhu Li?! DO YOU SEE IT?!"

Zhu Li remained stoic. "Of course, sir," she lied, again, hoping this would lead to an elaboration.

Instead, her employer's lower lip wobbled in an over-dramatic fashion, and suddenly, he buried his face in her shoulder and began to sob... loudly.

Zhu Li was slightly taken aback by this sudden outburst. She shifted on one foot, suddenly uncomfortable. She gave him an awkward pat on the back. "There, there, sir?"

Varrick pulled back from her and wailed. "My perfection is RUINED! Gray hair, Zhu Li! I SAW IT. One lone grey hair. But there'll be more! I'm getting ooooold."

Zhu Li stared at him. "A grey hair," she repeated.

Varrick turned away from her, arm over his eyes and he began to walk out of the bathroom. Zhu Li followed dutifully. Varrick flopped down onto a long couch, arm still over his eyes. "I'm never going outside again, Zhu Li! Make a note! Cancel all of my appointments."

Zhu Li did not move, merely continuing to stare at him. Suddenly, her stoic expression shifted into a slight frown of disapproval.

"I thought you were being murdered, sir," she said, her deadpan tone accompanied by a firm note in her voice.

"If only! Then, I could still die mostly handsome," Varrick said, sighing deeply.

Zhu Li paused a moment at that, then in one, slow motion, sat down on the couch, just above his head. She pulled his arm off of his face and brushed a lock of his curly hair out of his face. "You're still handsome," Zhu Li said, stoic, deadpan, and not blushing. She was focusing on him intently.

Varrick looked up at her, pouting. "You're just saying that because you're my assistant."

Zhu Li began to run her fingers through his hair, not looking him in the eyes. She still seemed to be focused. "I don't just say things, sir," she said.

Varrick grinned, the fake tears drying up like magic. He sighed, softly this time. "Mmm, that feels good, Zhu Li," he said, his eyes starting to close.

Zhu Li propped him up a bit with a pillow and continued to run her fingers through his hair. She would've been lying if she said she didn't enjoy what she was doing, but she was also doing this for a purpose. Varrick continued to lay back and enjoy her playing with his hair.

And then, Zhu Li found what she was looking for. The grey hair. With expert precision and care, she plucked the offending hair out of Varrick's head. In an instant, Varrick sat up. "OW! Zhu Li! What was that for?"

His assistant held up the grey hair. Varrick looked at it, then glared at her. "Well, that was pointless! I'm just going to get more! You are _not _plucking every grey hair I get out of my head. That hurt, you know," he grumbled.

"Sir, I estimate you have another six-ten years or more before you get enough grey hair that it's noticeable," Zhu Li said. "It happens to everyone."

Varrick continued to grumble things under his breath. "It's not fair. I'm rich. You think money could buy me a way to get rid of grey hair! I mean, why can't we just, I dunno, dye it like we do our clothes?" He pulled at his jacket.

Zhu Li started to say something, but then, she noticed that Varrick had froze up with his eyes wide. She knew that look.

"I feel... an idea storm coming on," Varrick whispered. He thrust his hand out. "ZHU LI! GET THE SUPPLIES."

Zhu Li was already moving.


End file.
